Kirby Fighters 2 – Free Demo Available Now!

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Oh, the full game came out a month ago.

Since I never wrote an article acknowledging the existence of Kirby Fighters 2, I've felt sort of bad. But a whole month has gone by. Fortunately, Nintendo is giving me a second chance, because today they released a demo of it. Here's a quick announcement video:

The demo locks you into using only four playable characters (Sword Kirby, Bomb Kirby, Staff Kirby, and stand-out factored Bandana Waddle Dee) but isn't shy about exposing you to the more full roster if you get the full game for $20. You can play the first chapter of the story mode (which is four fights plus a boss fight), and... you can play local multiplayer or online multiplayer (with randoms or friends in 2 vs. 2s), but not versus CPUs of your choice. Training mode is also available, but only with those four characters. Please consult training mode to learn each character's controls prior to playing multiplayer.

Additional fighters are locked behind higher Fighters Ranks (same with the real game)... but the demo keeps you at Fighters Rank 1.

The big draw to Kirby Fighters 2 is the debut of WRESTLER KIRBY, which is an upgraded/expanded form of Suplex/Throw Kirby/Backdrop. Yet that's locked out of the demo. You can either see that as the demo is ineffective because it doesn't feature the most compelling thing, or you can see that as the demo allows you to confirm the game exists and has basic fun, and your reward for dropping $20 on it is Wrestler Kirby.

As for online, you can be matched up with people who actually own the game and can freely pick from the full character roster. In my three match experience, I mostly got matched up against a Sword/Bomb/Bandana/Staffer. I think that means there is actually skill-based match-making, OR demo players overwhelm the number of paid players and the game's online is actually dead.

Kirby Fighters 2 does seem fun, by the way, though I don't like the controls. A is Jump, B is Attack, and Y is Grab. It's the A vs. B thing that trips me up. I'm often attacking when I'd like to be jumping. Unlike fellow Nintendo Switch game Kirby Star Allies, you cannot choose a different control scheme in Kirby Fighters 2. That's really bad in a genre all about tight control over your character, but probably manageable in the long term. ...But does Kirby Fighters 2 have a long term? Did it have a CURRENT term before the demo came out? Let me know...



Look forward to Kirby Fighters 2 being nominated for the Best OST Award for KoopaTV's Game of THAT Year awards for 2020. It has several new remixes and tracks, though you won't hear those in the demo because they're in stages you can only unlock in the full game. Ludwig didn't get the impression that Kirby Fighters 2 has much content, but it's also not fully priced, so...